Director Dykema (NIC) defers board fees into Nicolet Bankshares stock

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Nicolet Bankshares director John Nicholas Dykema reported a compensation-related share award, not an open-market trade. On the reported date, he acquired 551.343 shares of common stock at $139.63 per share, credited to the Nicolet National Bank Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-employee Directors as he deferred his board cash retainer, committee fees, and chair fee. Following this, he held 10,222.582 shares indirectly through the deferred compensation plan, 9,793 shares indirectly via the John Dykema 2020 Trust, and 44,310 shares directly. This filing reflects routine board compensation deferral into stock rather than a discretionary purchase or sale.

Insider Trade Summary

3 transactions reported

Mixed 3 txns

Insider Dykema John Nicholas

Role null

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Grant/Award	Common Stock	551.343	$139.63	$77K
holding	Common Stock	--	--	--
holding	Common Stock	--	--	--

Holdings After Transaction: Common Stock — 10,222.582 shares (Indirect, By Nicolet National Bank Deferred Compensation Plan For Non-employee Directors); Common Stock — 44,310 shares (Direct, null)

Footnotes (1)

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Key Figures

Deferred comp shares awarded: 551.343 shares Award price per share: $139.63/share Indirect holdings in deferred plan: 10,222.582 shares +2 more

5 metrics

Deferred comp shares awarded 551.343 shares Grant/award acquisition to deferred compensation plan

Award price per share $139.63/share Price used for 551.343-share deferred compensation award

Indirect holdings in deferred plan 10,222.582 shares Total common stock via deferred compensation plan after award

Indirect holdings via 2020 Trust 9,793 shares Common stock held by the John Dykema 2020 Trust

Direct shareholdings 44,310 shares Common stock held directly by John Nicholas Dykema

Key Terms

Deferred Compensation Plan, Grant, award, or other acquisition, Non-employee Directors, annual cash retainer, +1 more

5 terms

Deferred Compensation Plan financial

"deferred into the Nicolet National Bank Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-employee Directors"

A deferred compensation plan is an arrangement where an employer agrees to pay part of an employee’s pay or bonus at a later date instead of immediately, often to reduce current tax bills or to tie rewards to long-term performance. For investors it matters because these promises create future cash obligations and influence executive incentives and retention; they can affect a company’s reported liabilities, cash flow planning and the risk profile if the business faces financial trouble.

Grant, award, or other acquisition financial

"transaction_code_description": "Grant, award, or other acquisition""

Non-employee Directors financial

"Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-employee Directors"

Non-employee directors are board members who do not work for the company as salaried employees and usually do not hold day-to-day management roles. They act like outside referees or independent coaches, providing oversight, asking tough questions, and protecting shareholders’ interests; investors care because these directors help ensure management is accountable, reduce conflicts of interest, and influence decisions that affect company strategy and long-term value.

annual cash retainer financial

"The Company paid Mr. Dykema the Board annual cash retainer, annual committee fees"

Form 4 regulatory

"INSIDER FILING DATA (Form 4):"

Form 4 is a official document that company insiders, such as executives or major shareholders, file with regulators whenever they buy or sell company shares. It provides transparency about how those with inside knowledge are trading, helping investors see if insiders are confident in the company's prospects or may be selling for personal reasons. This information can influence investor decisions by revealing insiders' perspectives on the company's value.

Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Dykema John Nicholas

(Last) (First) (Middle)

C/O NICOLET NATIONAL BANK

111 NORTH WASHINGTON STREET

(Street)

GREEN BAY WISCONSIN 54301

(City) (State) (Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
NICOLET BANKSHARES INC [ NIC ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X	Director		10% Owner
	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
05/19/2026

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	05/19/2026	05/21/2026	A		551.343(1)	A	$139.63	10,222.582	I	By Nicolet National Bank Deferred Compensation Plan For Non-employee Directors
Common Stock								44,310	D
Common Stock								9,793	I	By the John Dykema 2020 Trust

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares

Explanation of Responses:

1. The Company paid Mr. Dykema the Board annual cash retainer, annual committee fees, and compensation committee chair fee, all of which Mr. Dykema deferred into the Nicolet National Bank Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-employee Directors.

	/s/ H. Phillip Moore, Jr., as attorney-in-fact for John N. Dykema	05/26/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)

FAQ

What insider transaction did NIC director John Dykema report on this Form 4?

Director John Nicholas Dykema reported receiving 551.343 Nicolet Bankshares common shares at $139.63 each. These shares were credited as part of a deferred compensation arrangement, reflecting board fees converted into stock rather than an open-market purchase or sale.

Was the NIC Form 4 transaction an open-market buy or sell by John Dykema?

The Form 4 does not show an open-market buy or sell. Instead, Dykema received 551.343 shares as a grant under a deferred compensation plan, where his board retainer and related fees were deferred into Nicolet Bankshares stock.

How many Nicolet Bankshares shares does John Dykema hold after this Form 4?

After the reported transactions, Dykema holds 44,310 common shares directly, 9,793 shares indirectly via the John Dykema 2020 Trust, and 10,222.582 shares indirectly through the Nicolet National Bank Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-employee Directors.

What is the Nicolet National Bank Deferred Compensation Plan for Non-employee Directors?

It is a plan allowing non-employee directors to defer cash compensation into Nicolet Bankshares stock. In this filing, Dykema’s annual cash retainer, committee fees, and compensation committee chair fee were deferred, resulting in an award of 551.343 common shares at $139.63 per share.

How does the John Dykema 2020 Trust relate to NIC share ownership?

The John Dykema 2020 Trust holds 9,793 Nicolet Bankshares common shares indirectly attributed to Dykema. The Form 4 identifies these as indirect holdings separate from his 44,310 directly held shares and 10,222.582 shares in the deferred compensation plan.